"The governor's claims that he has fixed our economy fail the simple test of basic economics," Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) said in a statement. "Nearly one-in-eleven residents still have no job. And thousands more have given up finding work entirely and have just left the job market altogether."

Christie said he never claimed success, only that the state's economy is better off now than a year ago.

"We have a lot more work to do," he said. "We're far from mission accomplished."